This invention relates, generally, to the field of musical instruments and, more particularly, is concerned with a high-hat cymbal stand.
A high-hat cymbal stand, also known as a sock stand, supports two cymbals in a cup-to-cup arrangement and includes a footboard or pedal for causing the cymbals to strike one another. Such a stand, as is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,530,757, typically includes a support pipe, a leg assembly for supporting the pipe in a generally perpendicular orientation relative to a floor or similar supporting surface, and a pedal assembly. The leg assembly includes a plurality of legs and a coupler to which each of the legs is connected. The coupler is attached about the support pipe so that the support pipe and the coupler are slidably movable relative to one another. The stand also includes locking means for releasably locking the support pipe and coupler together.
The pedal assembly is attached to one end of the support pipe and includes a weight-supporting member which is adapted to rest against the floor and share the weight of the stand with the legs when the stand is set up for play. The weight-supporting member is connected to the support pipe in such a manner that it moves with the pipe as the pipe is moved relative to the coupler of the leg assembly. Therefore, when the stand is placed upright upon a floor and the support pipe is moved up or down relative to the coupler while the legs are maintained in engagement with the floor, the weight-supporting member of the pedal assembly moves away from or toward the floor.
To prevent the stand from wobbling or creeping across the floor during play, the stand must carefully be set up so that the weight of the stand is stably distributed between the legs and the weight-supporting member of the pedal assembly. If there is too much weight upon the pedal assembly as compared to the weight upon the legs, the stand will wobble during play, and if there is too much weight upon the legs as compared to the weight upon the pedal assembly, the stand will creep across the floor during play.
The stand weight is distributed, either stably or unstably, between the legs and the pedal assembly when the weight-supporting member of the pedal assembly and the legs are in engagement with the floor and the coupler of the leg assembly is locked at a selected location along the length of the support pipe. To readjust the stand to redistribute its weight between the legs and the pedal assembly, the coupler is relocated and locked at another location along the length of the support pipe. Due to differences, such as evenness and hardness, between floor surfaces, the location of the coupler along the length of the support pipe at which the stand weight is stably distributed is not necessarily the same when the stand is moved from one floor surface to another. Therefore, each time that the stand is set up, care must be taken when positioning the coupler along the support pipe.
The present method of setting up such a stand includes a trail and error procedure by which the stand weight is stably distributed between the legs and the pedal assembly. The stand is initially placed upright upon the floor so that the legs and the pedal assembly are in engagement with the floor. The support pipe is then grasped with one hand and the coupler is grasped with the other hand and the coupler and support pipe are moved relative to one another. The coupler and support pipe are subsequently locked together with the locking means while the coupler is held at a selected position along the length of the support pipe. The user then tests the stand for stability, or the possibility that the stand will wobble or creep during play, by stepping upon the pedal a number of times and jostling the stand. If a determination is made that the stand is sufficiently stable, no readjustment or redistribution of the stand weight is necessary. If, on the other hand, a determination is made that the stand will wobble or creep, the coupler is relocated and locked at another position along the length of the pipe. The stand continues to be tested for stability and readjusted until the stand is determined to be sufficiently stable for play. A disadvantage associated with the aforedescribed method of set up is that the method is quite time-consuming if several readjustments are necessary before the stand is determined to be sufficiently stable for play.
Another disadvantage associated with such an aforedescribed prior art stand relates to readjustment of the stand, or a redistribution of the stand weight, during play or a performance. Such a readjustment may be desired if the stand creeps or wobbles during play. However, since two hands are generally required to reposition the coupler along the length of the support pipe, readjustment of the stand during play can be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved high-hat stand which can be set up much more easily and readily than a prior art stand of the type with which this invention is concerned and a method of setting up the stand.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a stand and method which obviates trial and error adjustments to achieve a stable weight distribution between the legs and the pedal assembly of the stand so that the stand does not wobble or creep during play.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a stand which does not require two hands for distribution of the stand weight during set up or redistribution of the stand weight following set up.